Dwayne Johnson, also known as ‘The Rock,’ has announced that we will no longer be seeing him on our screens in future Fast and Furious films.
This shock exit comes as a huge disappointment for many fans as Johnson first entered the Fast and Furious franchise back in 2011, starring in Fast Five. The revelation comes amidst rumors of an ongoing feud with fellow Fast and Furious co-star Vin Diesel.
The most recent fallout between the pair occurred when Diesel, who is also a producer on the franchise, reportedly took credit for Johnson’s performance on the Fast Five shoot. He put it down to his own ‘tough love’ approach as opposed to crediting Johnson’s ability which Johnson has recently hit back at.
In response, he told SlashFilm this week that ‘ I laughed and I laughed hard. I think everyone had a laugh at that. And I’ll leave it at that. And that I’ve wished them well.’
‘ I wish them well on Fast 9. And I wish them the best of luck on Fast 10 and Fast 11 and the rest of the Fast and Furious movies they will do without me.’
It is not yet clear whether Johnson will continue to appear in spin-offs of the franchise or whether this is goodbye for good. If this is the case, why not take a trip down memory lane and reminisce while watching Johnson’s stellar performance in the trailer for Hobbs & Shaw.
Defending himself, Diesel countered that his ‘tough love’ approach is intended to get better performances out of his co-stars.
He told Men’s Health the audience must believe the character: ‘My approach at the time was a lot of tough love to assist in getting that performance where it needs to be.’
‘As a producer to say, ‘ Okay we’re going to take Dwayne Johnson, who’s associated with wrestling, and we’re going to force this cinematic world, audience members, to regard his character as someone they don’t know.’
This development has caused mixed reactions on Twitter with some accusing Johnson of abandoning the family, while others appear to be glad.
One user even seemed to suggest that this is all just a publicity stunt being used to set up a later movie.
No matter which camp you’re in, it’s safe to say that everyone was looking forward to the prospect of the men putting their differences aside for the sake of a good film. But here’s hoping! There’s still the potential that we might see Johnson in a spin-off in the future.
